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Judge withdraws arrest warrant for former Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent

The warrant for a probation violation in his intoxication manslaughter case was initially issued after Brent was arrested last month in Coppell.

Former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent on the sidelines after a crash that killed former teammate Jerry Brown. Brent was driving drunk when he flipped his car. A warrant for Brent's arrest on a possible probation violation was recalled this week.

A Dallas County judge withdrew an arrest warrant this week for former Dallas Cowboy Josh Brent amid accusations that he violated his probation for the drunken-driving crash that killed his best friend and teammate Jerry Brown.

State District Judge Tina Yoo Clinton issued the warrant after the former defensive tackle's arrest last month in Coppell on charges of assault on a public servant and resisting arrest. Coppell police have said a public intoxication charge is pending.

Josh Brent(Dallas County Sheriff's Department)

Court records don't show why the judge recalled the warrant for Brent, 31, on Monday.

Brent's attorney could not be reached for comment.

In January 2014, a Dallas County jury suspended the 10-year prison sentence it gave Brent in favor of probation for the same amount of time. Brown's mother, Stacey Jackson, told jurors she had forgiven Brent for the deadly 2012 crash.

The terms of Brent's probation require that he not commit new offenses and that he not possess, drink or buy alcohol.

The Dallas County district attorney's office has recused itself from Brent's case, spokeswoman Kimberlee Leach said. District Attorney John Creuzot's top assistant, Kevin Brooks, was one of Brent's attorneys in the intoxication manslaughter case. The Travis County district attorney's office is now prosecuting the cases.

A spokeswoman for the Travis County district attorney's office declined to comment Wednesday.

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Jerry Brown

Brent was arrested after someone called police about 1:45 p.m. June 30 to report that he was sitting in the grass talking to himself at Wendy's on South MacArthur Boulevard near East Belt Line Road.

Officers found Brent and suspected he was intoxicated, police said. Brent, who now works in the Cowboys' scouting department, was shirtless and barefoot.

Police said Brent also resisted an officer's attempt to handcuff him and a Taser was used on him after he ignored commands.

A video taken by someone inside the Wendy's and posted on the internet shows officers chasing Brent around the parking lot.

He was taken into custody and admitted to officers that he was intoxicated, police said.

He was transferred to the Dallas County jail on July 1 and posted bond later that day.

Jennifer Emily. Jennifer is an award-winning reporter at The Dallas Morning News.
She has covered the justice system from the street to the courtroom to the execution chamber. She has also written about child criminals, growing up in prison, wrongful convictions, police shootings and the flaws of eyewitness testimony.
She earned a degree in journalism with a concentration in sociology from Indiana University.